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There’s a fine line between thrifty and cheap. Being thrifty means spending your money sparingly, valuing quality over quantity and refusing to make foolish purchases. On the other hand, cheaping out on either a necessary or luxury product can actually cost you more money — or even your health and well-being — down the line. It’s fine to maximize your money, but buying cheap alternatives to something that directly affects the quality of your life is usually a horrible choice.
Here are a few examples of products you should never buy cheaply.
Liquor
Disregard this one if you’re in college — nobody has money, and everyone is drinking, so there’s not much of a choice. However, once you graduate, get yourself a job and begin to grow up, it’s important to start valuing the nicer things in life. One of the clearest breakpoints between high and low-priced products comes with liquor. Any experienced liquor drinker can tell approximately how much liquor costs from taste alone.
As a working man, you’ll be cutting back on drinking from your college days and can afford to enjoy your drinks. So buy liquor worth experiencing.
Boots
Hiking and work boots require a bit of money if you plan on being comfortable. Without the cash, you can expect blisters, tightness and early blowout, demanding more money be poured into your footwear — earlier than if you had just purchased a quality pair in the first place. In many cases, buying cheap boots costs you more over the years, especially if you use them every day. And the sacrifices to your comfort aren’t worth it.
Paint
Cheap paint can ruin the interior or exterior of your house. The entire purpose of paint is to make a home look presentable, and cheap paint does the exact opposite. Quality paint is worth its weight in gold — but you can get it for significantly less than that. If you don’t want your house looking like a mess, invest a few extra bucks in your paint cans. You won’t regret it.
Tattoos
You’re wearing it for the rest of your life — or until you decide to pay for painful and costly tattoo removal. You might as well get something that you will always be proud to have on your body, something of quality.
Laptops
There’s a bit of a misconception that new and expensive technology is useless and will quickly become obsolete. While it is true that new upgrades and advancements are continually being made in technology, shelling out for a reliable laptop will always be worth the extra cash. With cheap computers, you get hinges that snap, chargers that fail to charge and other irritating qualities you can avoid for a few hundred bucks.
Tools
Your hands can tell the difference between quality tools and cheap pieces of junk. And if your hands don’t, you’ll figure it out when they snap off inside your car.
Beds
You will spend more time using your bed than almost anything else in your life. If that is not a good reason to buy a comfortable mattress, then nothing is.
Doctors/Surgery
This one ought to go without saying, but many guys go through with cheap surgeries every year. It’s your body — you probably don’t want some unqualified hack working on your insides with a knife.
Bikes
Especially if you plan on riding to work or going for long expeditions, quality bikes and biking gear go a long way. You don’t want parts falling off while you’re riding alongside traffic, do you?
Auto Parts
Anyone who owns a car knows how often things break and need replacing. If you’re a DIY kind of guy, don’t settle for cheap components. These are usually plastic or made from lighter metals and will break or warp twice as fast as more expensive parts will, requiring another costly repair.
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Feature photo provided by the author.